


Someone Better

by Mathemagician



Category: Sagas of Sundry, Sagas of Sundry: Dread
Genre: Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, basically content warning for kayden, set throughout the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 20:24:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12733692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mathemagician/pseuds/Mathemagician
Summary: Sat, Kayden, Tanner and how their relationship changed over a year





	Someone Better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sparxwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparxwrites/gifts).



"I've got some topographical expectations too." Tanner winced slightly at the comment as Sat leaned into Kayden's shoulder, laughing. There was no reason for Kayden to talk about her like that, Sat deserved better than being used as a way for Kayden to make everyone else uncomfortable. Tanner tried to ignore Sat's enjoyment, and the giggling the comment raised from Raina and Darby, desperate to rationalise his anger that Sat spent so much more time with Kayden than she did with him. Or that Kayden used to make sleazy comments about him and just... stopped, once he and Sat started whatever exactly it was that he and Sat have. Not that he missed it, Kayden harassing him was something he absolutely did not enjoy, at all. He was just jealous that Kayden could flirt with Sat and no one else seemed to mind. That he couldn't be the one with his arm around her as they walked through the woods.

\---

"I have nothing that fucking good. I still have burns on the inside of my arms" After everything that happened, Tanner's determination to blame Kayden for what happened last year was infuriating. He could handle Tanner's snide comments about how he spent his spare time, but the idea that he would drug his friends against their will, put them in that much danger, was just insulting. But of course, everything was Kayden's fault as far as Tanner was concerned. He was a convenient way for Tanner to avoid having to deal with something being his own fucking fault, or realising Sat wasn't a perfect ray of sunshine.

\---

"Ladies first," Tanner smirked. If Kayden was going to start trying to freak him out again, Tanner wasn't going to make it easy for him. If it was easy, he might stop. Not that Tanner actually wanted Kayden to hit on him, but it meant he wasn't flirting with Sat. Besides, he enjoyed the attention, not from Kayden, definitely not from Kayden specifically, just someone acknowledging he was there. It had nothing to do with the feeling in the pit of his stomach when Kayden winked at him, blowing Tanner a kiss as he walked past, his shoulder brushing against him in the narrow hallway.

\---

"And you, you're my best friend!"  
Kayden shrugged, Sat was better off without him anyway, they all were. Kayden was many things, but he wasn't selfish. He loved Sat, as much as he thought he could love anyone, and her life would be better without him around, so that's what had to happen. If that meant he had to convince Sat he didn't care about her, he could live with that. He wasn't important. As long as his friends where okay, he could stop the flirting with Sat and the late night calls to Darby and Raina. If he had to, he could even stop spending weekends crashing with whoever's parents were willing to let him avoid his own family for a few days, even on the days it got really bad. It's not like he didn't probably deserve it anyway. Tanner was safer, he hated Kayden anyway, all Kayden had to do to drive him away was keep being, well, Kayden. Then they could all believe he hated them and realise he wasn't worth keeping around. They could move on with their lives, do whatever it is people who have some sort of future do without him dragging them down.

\---

"One more time, harder, so I can see it." Kayden's hand came up again, refusing to break eye contact with Tanner. The sound of him slapping himself causing the girls to start yelling indignantly. Tanner vaguely processed one of the girls, possibly Raina, say something about it not being Kayden's fault. "There are a lot of things that were his fault." Tanner stood, staring at the red mark Kayden had left, trying to ignore the mixed feelings, and thoughts that he really shouldn't be having, especially not about Kayden, focusing on his anger at their situation.

\---

"Sat, leave him alone." As much as Tanner could be a self-righteous pain in the arse, he didn't deserve Sat yelling at him. Of all of them, Tanner had probably been the least shit over the last year. He could see the shocked look Tanner tried to hide from him. Tanner really did think that little of him then.  
Tanner tried not to let Kayden notice how surprised he was that he called Sat off. He probably deserved it, he was meant to look after Sat and he didn't, and he didn't think Kayden would turn down the chance to see him being yelled at by anyone, especially not by Sat.

\---

"We had stupid phone calls," Sat yelled, how could Kayden think that the last year had been okay? He'd barely spoken to her, they were supposed to be best friends and he ignored her for a year. She died and was in hospital for weeks and he didn't care enough to even notice she wasn't calling. She was always the one to call him.

\---

"I've known you a long time, since first grade." Tanner handed the knife off to someone else, his love for Sat quite possibly permanently etched into his arm. That was fine. He loved Sat, he was supposed to love Sat, he always would. He'd still be there when Kayden left. He would eventually, Kayden was never someone Tanner saw doing commitment, and he didn't think Kayden would disagree about that

\---

"Especially not you, you know what you've done to her." Tanner shoved Kayden away, back towards the exit after the girls. He couldn't let anyone else get hurt, he had to keep them safe, keeping them out of trouble was his job. He wasn't important to any of them, or at least there was someone else who was more important. Raina and Darby couldn't be without each other, not after they had just made up, and they were both good people, they had people who cared about them at home. Tanner didn't want to have to explain to either of their families why their daughter didn't come back from their camping trip. Sat would never let Kayden stay behind, Kayden didn't deserve to be the one to save them anyway, he had treated them all badly, he had to fix things with the others. Sat couldn't stay behind. He had to get Sat out, he loved her and if keeping her safe meant he had to stay behind and fight off a horde of zombies that was okay. Now he thought about it, they'd had a really weird weekend.

\---

"He didn't need to be a hero and I should've taken his place and now he's dead because of me." This wasn't how it was meant to happen, they were meant to have another fun adventure and prove Sat wasn't crazy. No one was meant to get hurt. To die. Sat felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kayden muttering something about it not being her fault. "I always drag you around everywhere. You're like a little mini-me." Self-destructive and stupid and going to drag their friends down with them.

\---

"Will it bring him back?"  
Sat was desperate. Tanner was her best friend for as long as she could remember, she'd loved him for as long as she was old enough to understand what love was. And he just told her he loved her. She'd suspected that he might have had feelings for her, but to hear him say it changed things. Sat wasn't quite sure how much, she couldn't just dump Kayden because Tanner came along. Tanner wasn't better than Kayden, they were different, filled different places in her life, but she needed them both. Letting Tanner go, after he told her he loved her, without at least talking about it just didn't feel right. Besides, she wasn't sure what she'd do without him. Kayden was great for getting into trouble, but Tanner was why she always got out of trouble when she'd had her fun. He kept them from going too far, from doing anything too self-destructive. She had to see him again.

\---

"I love you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I loved him too. I'm so sorry."  
The words were out of Kayden's mouth before he realised what he was saying, it was longer again before he realised how true they were. He loved Tanner, not like he loved Sat. Sat was a good time and a bit of fun who would skip out on classes to go drink and smoke with him. He cared about her, of course he did, but Tanner was something else, Kayden wasn't quite sure what, but he didn't want to not have it in his life. As much as Tanner annoyed the shit out of him, nagging him about drinking too much and spending more time in the parking lot instead of class, he really didn't want to have to not have him around. He might even miss the nagging more than the indignant noises Tanner made whenever Kayden said something lewd about him. It was part of what Kayden liked about Tanner, really. Even when he was pissed at Kayden, which was most of the time, he still didn't want him to get hurt, at least, not too badly. No more than he deserved.

Sat didn't seem bothered by Kayden's sudden declaration, he thought she'd at least be surprised. They were never officially dating or anything, but they had something, even if they hadn't decided on what it was. He knew that Sat loved Tanner, still, he thought Sat would be hurt that he did. He couldn't love both of them, at least not properly. Hell, Kayden wasn't sure he could love anyone properly. Not that it really mattered, Tanner had made it perfectly clear that he hated Kayden almost as much as he loved Sat, and now they'd never see Tanner again. Kayden could never apologise and Tanner would never be able to know how much they loved him. That didn't mean Sat had to go the same way. They were getting out alive.


End file.
